:Puna, Hawaii
{{Short description|District of Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2012}}
{{Coord|19|29|37.61|N|155|00|34.88|W|display=title}}
Image:HawaiiIslandDistrict-Puna.svg. From Northernmost, clockwise; North Kohala, Hāmākua, North Hilo, South Hilo, Puna (highlighted), Ka{{okina}}ū, South Kona, North Kona, and South Kohala]]
File:USGS Hawaii Island Lava Hazard Map.gif is divided into 9 Lava Flow Hazard Zones, which are unrelated to, and not to be confused with, the 9 District "zones". These Lava Flow Hazard Zones are numbered according to the degree of hazard from inundation by lava flows. Zone 1 is the area of the "greatest" hazard, where lava is most likely to come from the ground, and coincides with the rift zones of the two most active volcanoes (Mauna Loa and Kīlauea). Zone 9, consisting of the extinct volcano Kohala, is the area considered to be of the least hazard, since this area has not had any lava flows in thousands of years. Lava Hazard Zones in Puna are all Lava Hazard Zones 1, 2 and 3; the most dangerous according to the USGS.]]
Puna is one of the 9 districts of Hawaii County on the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i (Big Island; County of Hawai{{okina}}i). It is located on the windward side (east side) of the island and shares borders with South Hilo district in the north and Ka{{okina}}ū district in the west.[http://co.hawaii.hi.us/databook_current/map01.htm Hawaii County Data Book] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708080857/http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/databook_current/map01.htm |date=July 8, 2011 }} With a size of just under {{convert|320,000|acre|km2|sigfig=2}} or 500 sq. miles, Puna is slightly smaller than the island of Kaua{{okina}}i.
Puna cropland supports floriculture, nurseries and macadamia nuts. Most of the state’s papayas crops are grown in the lower Puna area which is regarded as the best place in the Islands to grow the crop.{{cite news|url=http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/hawai-i-island-s-agriculture-recovery-challenge|title=Hawai‘i Island’s Agriculture Recovery Challenge|work=Hawaii Public Radio|first=A. KAM |last=NAPIER |date=October 26, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=2 November 2018|archive-date=2018-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027014059/http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/hawai-i-island-s-agriculture-recovery-challenge}}
The Puna District is subject to frequent lava eruptions and flows, which include the complete destruction of the community of Kapoho, a result of the devastating 2018 lower Puna eruption, as Puna is located on a volcanic rift zone of Kilauea Volcano.
History
= Kingdom of Hawaii =
Kalama's map of 1837{{cite web |last1=Kalama |first1=S. P. |title=Na Mokopuni o Hawaii Nei |url=http://www.islandbreath.org/mokupuni/KalamaMaps/Kalama1837.jpg |website=Islandbreath.blogspot.com |publisher=Unsure |access-date=11 September 2021 |format=Map |date=1837}}{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Juan |title=Hawaiian Land Areas |url=http://www.islandbreath.org/hawaiinei/hawaiinei.html |website=Islandbreath.blogspot.com |publisher=Self |access-date=11 September 2021}} shows that Puna was a Moku (traditional district) covering the southeastern corner of the island before the great mahele of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
=Recent lava activity=
Kīlauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes, and until August 2018 was continuously in action since 1983 along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone, and closely monitored by the [http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php Hawaii Volcano Observatory]. The Royal Gardens subdivision and the villages of Kaimu and Kalapana were largely destroyed by lava flows and in the Fall of 2014, lava briefly touched the outskirts of Pahoa, the main village in Puna, before halting and seeking a new course south into the ocean at Kamokuna.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, when constructed, had two entrances. The entrance from lower Puna was cut off in 1986, and several miles of the road along the ocean were covered by several flows that occurred over the course of the eruption.[http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/summary/ Kīlauea lava flows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313025402/https://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/summary/ |date=March 13, 2017 }} (USGS). Millions of tourists came each year[http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/research/ Hawaiian Tourism Authority] to witness the spectacle of a torrent of lava plunging into the sea and exploding as it hit the water. Lava flows continued to add new land to the old shoreline, often resulting in an unstable delta that periodically formed cracks and broke off into the sea; visitors were provided with viewing stations at a safe distance.{{cite news|url=http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/hazards/|title=Volcanic Hazards on the Island of Hawai`i|access-date=May 3, 2015|archive-date=January 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131035527/https://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/hazards/|url-status=dead}}
==2014 lava flow==
{{further|Pahoa, Hawaii#2014 lava flow}}
In June 2014, a lava flow dubbed the June 27th flow started flowing from a vent{{cite news|last1=Choi|first1=Kenny|title=New Video: Pu'u O'o crater develops new outlet for lava|url=http://www.kitv.com/news/puu-oo-crater-develops-new-outlet-for-lava/26705312|access-date=27 October 2014|work=KITV 4|agency=kitv.com|date=27 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708131023/http://www.kitv.com/news/puu-oo-crater-develops-new-outlet-for-lava/26705312|archive-date=July 8, 2014|df=mdy-all}} of a spatter cone called Puʻu ʻŌʻō on the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano in a northwest direction towards the villages of Kaohe Homesteads and Pahoa.{{cite news|title=Lava on track to reach Pahoa in two weeks|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140919_Lava_flow_slows_widens_as_it_reaches_open_field.html|access-date=27 October 2014|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|date=9 September 2014}}
In early September it appeared that the lava flow was en route to the small community of Kaohe Homesteads. Community leaders and state officials began to draw up plans for evacuations and the mayor signed an emergency proclamation as residents of the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision learned that lava from Kilauea Volcano was just {{convert|0.8|mile}} away and could reach them within a week.{{cite news|last1=Nakaso|first1=Dan|last2=Moseley|first2=Megan|title=Big Isle resident vows to stay until lava burns house|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140904_Lava_only_advances_100_yards_not_an_immediate_threat.html?id=274002941|access-date=27 October 2014|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|date=4 September 2014}} On September 13, a release from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory stated that the flow had begun to shift away from the subdivision as it had interacted with both the cracks and down-dropped blocks within the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano and a natural valley that leveled away from Kaohe Homesteads.{{cite web|title=Lava slows, misses first homes for now|url=http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/hawaii/kilauea/current-activity-part-2.html#c38674|website=Volcano Discovery|access-date=27 October 2014}}
In early October 2014, the lava flow was heading towards the community of Pahoa, Hawaii. On October 25, the flow had crossed Cemetery Road at Apa'a Road near the Pahoa Recycling and Transfer Station, a waste/trash station, which was closed and relocated due to the lava flow.{{cite news|title=Pahoa Transfer Station to Close Friday|url=http://bigislandnow.com/2014/10/23/pahoa-transfer-station-to-close-friday/|access-date=27 October 2014|work=Big Island Now|date=23 October 2014}} The flow was quickly advancing on a nearby cemetery and triggered the first series of evacuations.{{cite news|title=Lava enters Pahoa cemetery grounds|url=http://www.kitv.com/news/lava-enters-pahoa-cemetery-grounds/29348180|access-date=26 October 2014|work=KITV 4|agency=kitv.com|date=26 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130162744/http://www.kitv.com/news/lava-enters-pahoa-cemetery-grounds/29348180|archive-date=November 30, 2014|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|title=Lava nears, evacuations loom|url=http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-nears-evacuations-loom|access-date=26 October 2014|work=West Hawaii Today|agency=Stevens Media|date=26 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027090228/http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-nears-evacuations-loom|archive-date=October 27, 2014|df=mdy-all}} On November 10, the flow claimed a home.{{cite news|title=First house claimed by Puna lava flow|url=http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27344777/puna-lava-flow-breakout-approximately-5-yards-from-residential-structure-may-claim-first-house-today |access-date=11 November 2014}}
Officials feared that if the lava flow continued on its path it would cover and close the only route in and out of lower Puna, Highway 130. On October 22, The National Park Service announced{{cite web|last1=Ferracane|first1=Jessica|title="End of the Road" would close during emergency route construction|url=https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/news/closure.htm|website=National Park Service: Hawaii Volcano National Park|publisher=NPS|access-date=26 October 2014}} that it would help state and county officials create an emergency route along 8 miles of the buried Chain of Craters Road in order to help Puna residents who would lose access to the rest of Hawai‘i if that lava flow covered Highway 130. Construction of the Chain of Craters alternate route began by making a path over a wall of lava rock covering the road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The $12 million to $15.5 million route, to be re-established between the park and Kalapana as a gravel road, would have been the only road in and out of lower Puna, if the June 27 lava flow had made its way to the sea. The park closed the end of Chain of Craters Road as construction began. Nearly 8 miles of the roadway, officially known as Chain of Craters Road inside the park and Highway 130 outside of it, had been covered by past flows from the ongoing Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption that threatened Pahoa. Chain of Craters Road, which opened in 1965, had portions blocked or covered by lava for 37 years of its 49-year existence, according to the park. The road is about 19 miles long inside the park.{{cite news|title=Lava-clearing to begin on Ka‘u side of historic road|url=http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-clearing-begin-ka-u-side-historic-road|access-date=26 October 2014|work=West Hawaii Today|agency=Stephens Media|date=22 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027084729/http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-clearing-begin-ka-u-side-historic-road|archive-date=October 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}
The lava flow stopped just short of the village of Pahoa. In 2016 a new flow (called Episode 61G by the United States Geological Survey) emerged from Puʻu ʻŌʻō in a southerly direction, the shortest way to the ocean, across an area that had been covered in lava during the preceding decades. The emergency road connecting Hwy 130 to the Chain of Craters Road was severed by the new flow. In 2018 this road was again cleared through the 2016 lava to provide emergency access around the 2018 lower Puna eruption.
==2018 eruption==
{{Main|2018 lower Puna eruption}}
On May 3, 2018, a fissure opened and lava started spewing out on Mohala Street in Leilani Estates.{{cite web|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/05/03/breaking-news/magma-activity-eases-but-eruption-still-possible-on-big-isle/|title=Overnight, earthquakes and lava become the new norm on Hawaii island|date=3 May 2018|access-date=5 May 2018}} By June 5, 2018, reports from Hawai'i County officials indicated that hundreds of homes in several subdivisions had been destroyed by the ongoing eruption.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38344763/lava-covers-more-subdivisions-while-pouring-into-ocean |title=Hawaiinewsnow - Lava claims hundreds of homes, including Big Island mayor's |access-date=June 5, 2018 |archive-date=June 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606012319/http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38344763/lava-covers-more-subdivisions-while-pouring-into-ocean |url-status=dead }} By early August, when the eruption ended, over 13.7 square miles had been covered by lava, including about 875 acres of new land offshore.[https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/maps_uploads/image-540.jpg USGS East Rift Zone map, August 9, 2018]
File:USGS Kīlauea image-405.jpg|Map of ongoing intrusion and earthquake activity along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone (May 2, 2018)
File:USGS Kīlauea multimediaFile-1936.jpg|Collapse in the crater of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō,April 30, 2018; cf. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Daily Update, U.S. Geological Survey; Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 8:49 AM HST (Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 18:49 UTC): {{Cite web |url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html |title=USGS: Volcano Hazards Program - Hawaiian Volcano Observatory |access-date=May 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504015931/https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html |archive-date=May 4, 2018 |url-status=bot: unknown }} creating an ash plume (May 3, 2018)
File:USGS Kīlauea multimediaFile-1938.jpg|Eruption in the Leilani Estates subdivision (May 3, 2018)
File:USGS Kīlauea multimediaFile-1955.jpg|Lava from a fissure slowly advanced to the northeast on Hoʻokāpu Street in Leilani Estates subdivision (May 5, 2018)
File:USGS Kīlauea image-409.jpg|Map of the locations of eruptive fissures (May 5, 2018)
Geography
=Communities=
For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined many of these communities as a census-designated places (CDP). The census definition of these areas may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name.
=Housing=
The affordable housing prices have led to an enormous increase in developments in Puna, and have made this district the fastest growing area on the Big Island.{{r|CB 2023-05-30}} Between 1990 and 2020 the population increased by 150% and slightly surpassed the population of the South Hilo district (including the city of Hilo), which in comparison only grew by about 15%.{{Cite web |url=http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/databook/2023-individual/01/011123.pdf |title= RESIDENT POPULATION OF COUNTIES AND JUDICIAL DISTRICTS: 1990 TO 2020 |access-date=April 30, 2025}} However, between 2002 and 2006 the price of houses more than doubled and the price of vacant land increased over fivefold, as increasing numbers of people from outside the district (often from the mainland U.S.) bought into the last affordable market in the state.
Homeowners Insurance can be more difficult to secure in the parts of Puna that are located in Lava Flow Hazard Zones 1 or 2.{{Cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/hazards/maps.html |title=Lava flow zone hazard maps USGS |access-date=October 25, 2006 |archive-date=June 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602073847/http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/hazards/maps.html |url-status=dead }} The entire Kīlauea rift zone region is in Zone 1, while the southeastern slope is in Zone 2. Most home insurance companies will not cover homes in Zone 1 or 2 for values over $350,000. Most of the volcanic destruction of private property in Hawai{{okina}}i since the 20th century has occurred in lower Puna, including the destruction of sections of Kapoho, Royal Gardens, Kalapana and Kaimū.{{Cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/hazards/kilauea.html |title=Hazard zones for lava flows on Kilauea USGS |access-date=October 25, 2006 |archive-date=June 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626092618/http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/hazards/kilauea.html |url-status=dead }} Since 1983 (but prior to 2018), lava flows destroyed about 190 structures and covered approximately 50 square miles out of the 500 square miles of Puna.{{Cite web |url=http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov//kilauea/summary/main.html |title=USGS Summary of the Pu`u `Ō `ō-Kupaianaha Eruption, 1983-present |access-date=July 20, 2009 |archive-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131035507/https://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/summary/main.html |url-status=dead }} Living in Puna has some other unique considerations. For example, most homes in Puna rely on rainwater catchment for their household water.[http://www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/HH-10.pdf College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) University of Hawaii at Manoa]{{Cite web |url=http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/PIO/FreePubs/FreePubs09.asp#Water |title=Free CTAHR Publications |access-date=July 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516235658/http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/PIO/FreePubs/FreePubs09.asp#Water |archive-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead }} This lack of water availability for firefighting is also an issue with insurance companies.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}
=Climate=
The climate is a mild tropical climate with abundant rainfall, especially in the northern parts and areas of higher elevation. The terrain is characterized by gentle slopes with no defined waterways. Although rainfall is occasionally very heavy (one storm in 2003 brought 36 inches (90 cm) of rain in 24 hours), flooding is rare due to the slope and porosity of the volcanic rock. The vegetation ranges from rainforest to desert shrub and coastal strand. Large areas of native forest are present in the Wao Kele o Puna and Kahauala tracts.
Places of interest
Besides visiting the active Kīlauea volcano and the formerly active and now cooled lava flows in the area of Kalapana, another interesting site within the Puna district was the heated tide pools at Ahalanui Beach Park (aka Pu{{okina}}ala{{okina}}a County Park), where spring water was naturally heated through geothermal energy and this mixed with ocean water along the shoreline. Prior to the eruption in 1960 at Kapoho, the pools were not heated but were cold; in 2018 the park was overrun by lava.[http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/active-alerts/east-rift-zone-eruption-thursday-71218-600-am.html Hawaii County Civil Defense message]
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, (the entrance is inside the district of Ka{{okina}}ū)
- Issac Hale Beach Park (Pohoiki) (was heavily effected by the 2018 eruption and has since reopened)
- Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation
Notable people
- Arthur Johnsen, Artist
- William "Billy" Kenoi, Mayor of Hawai{{okina}}i County (2008–2016)
- Harry Kim, Mayor of Hawai{{okina}}i County (2000–2008 and 2016-2020)
- Jason Scott Lee, Actor, owner and creator of Ulua Theatre, Volcano Village resident[http://www.midweek.com/content/story/theweekend_coverstory/acting_naturally/ Midweek Magazine Cover Story] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927225346/http://www.midweek.com/content/story/theweekend_coverstory/acting_naturally/ |date=September 27, 2011 }}
- Joseph Nāwahī, Native Hawaiian legislator, newspaper publisher, and painter
- Emily Naeole, Hawai{{okina}}i County Councilwoman[http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/council/district05.htm Hawai{{okina}}i County Council Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006014236/http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/council/district05.htm |date=October 6, 2011 }}
- Abra Moore, Folk-styled rock singer-songwriter
- William H. Shipman, Founder of W. H. Shipman Ltd., agricultural entrepreneur, and major private land owner in Puna
Gallery
File:Metrosideros polymorpha.jpg|{{okina}}Ōhi{{okina}}ā lehua is the predominant endemic tree found in Puna.
File:KalapanaPlume2008.jpg|Kupaianaha lava flow plume in Puna near Kalapana.
File:Three Waikupanaha and one Ki lava ocean entries w-edit2.jpg|Three entries plus Waikupanaha in April 2008.
File:Starr 050423-6662 Santalum ellipticum.jpg|Sandalwood was abundant in Puna prior to the early 1820s.
File:Sugar cane madeira hg.jpg|Sugarcane was the main agricultural product in Puna for the 20th century.
File:MacNut2.JPG|Macadamia nuts, pictured here in the shell & as a dry roasted nut, are still a significant agricultural industry in Puna.
File:Coffee Flowers Show.jpg|Coffee was the main crop in the 1800s for Puna and has recently made a return.
File:Koeh-029.jpg|Papaya from Hawai{{okina}}i is almost exclusively from Puna.
File:Hawaii Lava Tree State Park 000.jpg|Albizia trees are a seriously invasive species throughout the District of Puna, as evidenced by this picture near the "Tree Tunnel" at Lava Tree State Park.
File:Kilauea-flow-map 01.jpg|A map showing the flow direction of the June 27th Lava Flow (as of 11/24/14).
File:Island of Hawai'i - Landsat mosaic.jpg|This satellite image shows how most of Puna is covered in a lush green canopy, with some visible lava flows in the District of Puna.
File:Kilauea Lava Hazard Map.gif|All of the eastern flank of Kīlauea lies within the District of Puna with a small portion of Mauna Loa running along the northern boundary. The flows erupted since 1800 are shown in gray and dated. Twenty-eight percent of the area encompassed by Zones 1 and 2 on the east half of the volcano have been covered by lava since 1955. The major housing subdivisions of Puna are shown in green.